Photo of the Week (POW) - Racer Aubrey Bailey

R.A.C.E. Round 5, Shannonville Motorsport Park,
September 4, 2010. Shot with Nikon D80 with 18-200mm VR
at 130mm. ISO 400, 1/800, F5.6 in Aperture Priority
(Click on the photo above for a larger version)

 Aubrey in the zone as he looks through the corner in the final hairpin before the front straight at Shannonville during R.A.C.E. Round 5 in the AM 600 class. This is one of my favourite angles as you can see how the body position is integral to going fast around a corner. His weight is on the inside of the bike with his right cheek off the seat, his right knee scraping the ground, and his head and shoulders on the inside. Racers wear knee pucks and I can hear them grinding as I take the photos. I like to call this the frog position because the legs remind me of a frog sitting on a lily pad.

I first met Aubrey in January 2009 at the motorcycle show in Toronto. He was a beaver and I held his tail. 100% true story. But I digress.

(Continue reading after the jump)

Photo of the Week (POW) - Wiggly

Since it's Valentine's week, I thought I should post about the love of my life. Not the motorcycle. Not the camera. My wife.

Margot and Sadie at the "Woofstock" event in downtown
Toronto. Shot with a Nikon D80 with a 18-200mm
zoom and built-in camera flash in TTL mode for fill.
Click for a larger version.

This photo was taken in front of the flatiron building in downtown Toronto during Woofstock on June 12, 2010. There was a concrete divider that provided the perfect platform for Sadie to sit on. When we tell her to do a sit stay, she does this regal pose. I wanted a fill flash which would have me busting out my SB-800 but when you're this close to the subject, it tends to give unattractive glare on the face and harsh shadows, especially in the vertical position. I was close enough that I was able to use the built-in flash which provided the fill but still looks natural. I also like composition in this one where the eye is lead up to the point at the top of the building. I also Margot's natural smile in this one.

Margot and I have been married for almost 13 years. We weren't quite high school sweethearts but pretty close. We met at the University of Guelph and tied the knot right after graduation in 1998 then moved to a 1 bedroom apartment in the sky in Scarborough, Ontario. Living on the 21st floor we affectionately referred to it as our "hole in the sky".  We had a great view, but there wasn't much space for 2 people, a cat and a 90 gallon aquarium full of fish. We somehow made it work.

(read more after the jump)

Photo of the Week (POW) - Jay's Custom 1972 Honda CB350

Jay's custom 1972 Honda CB350.
Nikon D80 with 18-200mm VR. 2x SB-800 flashes to
camera left and right. Click here for the lighting
setup. Note the umbrellas were used to keep the
flashes dry, not to diffuse the light

Pretty cool bike, right? You'd be forgiven if you parked this old custom beauty in a showroom and charged people $0.25 just to see it. But Jay is a biker first and this is his daily ride. In fact he rode it back from Mods vs Rockers Chicago last summer, 850 kms in 14 hours.

His project began in 2002 when he wanted to buy a couple wheels from a crashed bike but ended up bringing the entire bike home for not much more. She was destined to be a parts bike but Jay saw her beauty past her broken fork legs and non-functioning engine. After about a year and a half of major and cosmetic surgeries, she was reborn and granted the license to stroll on the roads once again.

Chicks dig his bike and many have asked to pose with it for photos. It's inspired at least two women to get their own vintage Hondas! "I can't go for a ride in the summer without at least one person giving me the thumbs up or yelling 'Cool bike!'" exclaims Jay.

(More after the jump)

Photo of the Week (POW) - February 3, 2011

I had a ruff time thinking about this week's POW and it's pawsitively gone to the dogs.

I like to call this the Poodle Model Photoshoot. Sadie (black poodle) belongs to Margot and I, while Tessa (lightest) and Buffy (middle) belongs to our friend Debbie. Tessa is Buffy's mom. Sadie and Buffy have been friends since they were puppies.

We shot this on October 13, 2008 at Bruce's Mill Conservation Area in Stouffville, our absolute favourite place for fall walks. They have a mature forest so the trees are ablaze with colour during the autumn season.  The photo I took of Mel and Mackenzie was also taken here. It's my secret spot. I guess not so secret anymore...

Tessa, Buffy and Sadie, all miniature poodles.
Nikon D80 with 80-200mm F/2.8 with 1 SB-800 flash to
camera left above the dogs' head.

I'm going to get a bit more technical in my description of this photoshoot so if your eyes start to glaze over, I won't be offended if you skip to the next paragraph where I go back to talking about doggies.

(More after the jump)